Coin-controlled lock



N. KRETZER.

com communal) LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JULY30, I919.

Patented July 19, 1921..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NICHOLAS KRETZER, OE LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

COIN-CONTROLLED LOCK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS Knn'rznn,

' a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Coin-Controlled Lock, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce an improved form of coin-controlled door lock, wherein the parts are compactly arranged with a minimum number of springs and in which there is provided a simple but efficient coin-passage block or guard which will be positively actuated in one direction by the coin-controlled mechanism and in the opposite direction by the inner, non-coin controlled knob.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention. Figure 1 is a vertical elevation, in fragmentary section, of the mechanism; and Figs. 2 and 3 are horizontal elevations of the coin-slot guarding mechanism, in unlocked and locked position, respectively.

In the drawings, indicates a suitable case and 11 a latch bolt. Lying between the head of bolt 11 and a pin 12, is a finger 13 carried by a cylinder 14 adapted to be oscillated by a suitable key from the exterior of the casing, and surrounding this cylinder is coil spring 15 urging finger 13 in a direction to normally project bolt 11. Extending through a slot .16, in bolt 11, is the spindle 17 of the exterior knob 18 (dotted lines, Fig. 1). Knob 18 carries an arc-shaped finger 19 which is projected through an arcshaped slot 20 in casing 10 and the end of this finger lies opposite, and may be projected freely through, a perforation 21 in a coin receiving arm 22 sleeved on-spindle 17 and having a coin receiving pocket overlying perforation -21 much as in my patent No. 1,025,143, dated May 7, 1912.

Arm 22 carries a link 23 having a pin 24 which slides in a slot 25 in bolt 11. Arm 22 is connected by a link 27 with arm 28 of a common form of ratchet-operated counter 29.

Finger 19 engages in one direction a lever 30 pivoted to casing 10 and engaging a vertically moving latch 31 adapted to engage shoulder 32 of bolt 11 so as to hold bolt 11 in retracted position so long as knob 18 is held away from normal position after insertion of a proper coin. As knob 18 returns to normal position under the action of spring 33, finger 19 engages lever 30 and re- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 19, 1921..

1919. Serial No. 314,272.

tracts latch 31 so as to permit bolt 11 to be projected by spring 1.5. Latch 31 is acted. on by a light spring 34.

In order to close roin-receiving slot 35, I provide a sliding guard'plate 36 which is -slidably mounted in a guide 37, conveniently formed of sheet metal having its edges folded toward each other and permitting a slight lateral play of plate 36, said plate being longitudinally slotted at 38, laterally notched at 39 and provided with a cam lip 40 which overlies one of the inturned'edges of guide 37. A pivot pin 41 passes through slot 38 into guide 37 and on this pin is pivoted an operating lever 42, one end of which lies in position to be engaged by arm 22. The other end of lever 42 carries a pin 43 (dotted lines Figs. 2 and 3) projected into slot 39 and a pin 44 projected into slot 45 of a lever 46 pivoted in casing 10.

Thefree end of lever 46 projects into a transverse groove 48 in a sliding plate 49 mounted in a guide groove 50 in casing 10, said groove being perforated to form a com- 'mon sight opening (shown in dotted lines) in the casing. The outer face of plate 49 18" to carry the words open and occupied, or other words ofsimilar import arranged to be alternately exposed through the sight opening in a common manner.

Journaled in the casing 10 is a spindle 51 adapted to be operated by a knob accessible only from the inside of the compartment controlled by my lock, and this spindle carries an arm 52 arranged to act upon bolt 11, through pin 53. Spindle 51 also carries an arm 54 adapted to engage cam lip 40 and lift it out of notch 55 in guide 37. A light coil spring 56, placed around pin 41 has one end engaging lever 42 and its other end lying upon cam lip 40, so that this one spring acts upon lever 42 to urge it to normal position, and upon guard plate 36 to laterally displace its lip 40 into notch 55 and to hold the guard temporarily over the coin slot 35.

In operation, the parts are normally in ing arm 22 to swing to the right, this movement operating through link 23 to retract latch 11 against the action of spring 15. Movement of finger 19 releases lever 30, thus permitting spring 34 to drive latch 31 down into position to engage behind shoulder 32 so as to hold latch 11 in its retracted position. As arm 22 moves to the right, it en gages the upper end of lever 42 and moves this lever from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 3 against the action of spring 56. This movement of lever 42 causes its pin 48 to shift guard 36 to the position shown in Fig. 3 and, as this position is reached, spring 56 shifts the rear end of the guard plate laterally so as to drop finger 40' behind; shoulder 45, thus latching guard plate in position. The above described movement of lever 42 also, through finger 44, causes lever 46 to act, through groove 48 upon the indicator plate 49 and shift the same to indicate occupancy of the apartment. Upon release of the knob 18, finger 19 is moved back to its initial position by spring 33,'arm 22 remaining stationary so that the coin is thereby released and drops from the arm. As the finger 19 reaches the end of its return movement, it engages lever so as to retract latch 31 and permit latch 11 to be returned to its projected position by the action of spring 15,-arm 22 being at the same time returned to normal position through the action of link 23. Under these conditions,guard 36 is held in latched position to block the coin passage and the signal 49 is also'held in indicating position by the interaction of finger with shoulder 45. When the occupant leaves the apartment, he operates cylinder 51 which, through arm 52, retracts latch 11, and through arm 54 engages finger 40 so as to lift it from behind. shoulder and thus permit spring 56, acting upon lever 42, to retract the guard 36 through themedium of pin 43 and slot 39.

It will be noticed that spring 56 performs two functions, one end acting upon lever 42 to produce longitudinal movement oi guard 36 in one direction, and the other end acting upon finger 40, to produce lateral move ment of the guard 36 in one direction, to hold finger 40 behind shoulder 45. I

I claim as my invention:

1. In a 'eoin-controlled lock, a coin slot guard comprising a longitudinally movable guard plate, a guide therefor, a lever engag- 1ng said guard to produce longitudinal movement thereof, interengaging members,- one of which is earned by the guard for holding the guard in proj ectedl position, and means for yieldingly urging the lever in one direction and for urging one of said interengaging members to active position.

'2. In a coin-controlled lock, a coin'slot guard, a guide therefor, a lever, intermediate connections between the lever and guard for producing a longitudinal movement of the guard, a pair of interengaging members, one'carrie'dby the guard for holding the guard in PIOJGCtQCl positlon, and a spring acting upon said lever and one of said interengaging members, substantially described.

3. In a coin-controlled lock, the combination with the casing, having a coin entrance, a bolt and coin-controlled mechanism for operating said bolt, of a'guard for said coinentrance, said guard conslsting oi a plate of the guard plate in opposition to said I spring. I

4. In a coin-controlled lock, thecombination with the casing, havinga coin entrance, a bolt and coin-controlled mechanism for operating said bolt, of a guard for said coin entrance, said guard consisting of a movable plate, means for latching said plate at the guarding end of its movement, means for shifting said guard to guarding position, and a single spring acting upon the plate to drive it from guarding position and upon the latching means to drive said means to latching position. 7 1

In Witness whereof, I have hereunt'o set my hand at Louisville, Kentucky, this 22nd day of July, A. D. one thousand nine hundred and nineteen.

NICHOLAS KRETZER. 

